A known process for making a series of coupled slide fasteners of a predetermined length each provided with an end piece, a slider and optionally a beginning piece from a continuous coupled slide fastener strip with an automatic final assembler having a tool for application of the end piece and/or the beginning piece, a slider-drawing mechanism and a separating mechanism with a cutting knife comprises moving the coupled slide fastener strip stepwise cyclically and according to the length of the coupled zipper, mounting the end piece and/or the beginning piece in a cycle pause, drawing the slider on the coupled slide fastener and separating the individual coupled slide fasteners by cutting.
The earlier method, furthermore, specifically comprises gripping the coupled slide-fastener strip by at least one clamping member adjacent the location at which the cut is to be made in the coupled slide fastener strip on one side at the beginning of a leading coupled slide fastener and on the other side at the end of a trailing coupled slide fastener and then cutting the coupled slide fastener strip.
The coupled slide fasteners can have continuous rows of coupling elements of plastic (synthetic resin) monofilament, metal slide fastener elements or other slide fastener elements of plastic.
The beginning pieces form a stop for the slider and are positioned at the open or spreadable end of the manufactured zipper.
The end piece is mounted at the opposite end. The end piece can, in a separable slide fastener be also separated and constructed from suitable elements. The apparatus can have tools for mounting metal beginning pieces and end pieces. When the beginning and end pieces are made from plastic, these slide fastener members can be thermally fused from the coupling elements with or without addition of further plastic material.
In current practice, the separation and thus the cutting operation occurs following the end piece mounting operation. That means that the individual process steps and measures are performed on a web or strand of assembled slide fastener segments. The beginning part and/or end part of these slide fastener segments always must be taken and positioned anew in the cutting apparatus. Thus inaccuracies result. Moreover the expense, particularly in regard to the drive and control mechanisms, is comparatively large. Finally disturbingly long cycle times result from the above described procedure.